"I had to spend eighteen hours in jail with a pink bustier and stiletto heels on."

I was in Kane nightclub it's on west 28th. street. I was with three of my girlfriends. We were all very intoxicated. Two of them started getting into an argument and one of them was getting thrown out and as she was getting thrown out she screamed out, "grab my bag" because the bouncer was grabbing her out, there was about eight clutches on the thing. I'm drunk. I pick one up. I go outside some girl starts screaming out, "where's my bag, where's my bag." I pull out the bag I was like this isn't yours some guy grabs my arm looks like he just came out of the club. I told him, "get the fuck off of me" and turns out to be a cop that arrested me for grand larceny. And I had to spend eighteen hours in jail with a pink bustier and stiletto heels on. The girl must of realized it was a misunderstanding. She pressed charges while I was in the precinct and then she didn't cooperate with the DA, so I just had to show up three times before she, before that happens. So like before it got dismissed which is the last time I ever had to see this building ever again, because I do not belong in places like this, at all. I'm not a criminal. It was a misunderstanding. A drunken misunderstanding.

Vlada

"You know. I'm homeless. I go to the bath houses and take a shower."

Zullo Paul, Pul heh I'm not all there. My last name is Paul, my first name. My last name... is Zullo. I was drinking all night. Just a crime that's all. Fighting. Some guy over there in the park. Some guy I don't know. I've never seen him before. I stay there sometimes.

One in the building there I broke his telephone, his walkie talkie. I smashed it on the floor because I was picking up cans. I didn't even know it, I seen it by the telephone so I picked it up and I threw it on the floor, he says, "Oh my phone, my phone". And it was right across by the curb. So he's taking me to court. The other guys taking me to court too. Both people are taking me to court. For fighting. I've haven't gotten in trouble since they let me go. I didn't even touch the guy, I didn't even hit him or nothing. He's bleeding from his finger. And they took me and put me, fucking stun gun me, all over my body. The five precinct. They let me go. He was looking for trouble from me and I was looking for trouble from him. They was cursing me out over there. They don't like white guys. He was a black guy.

I go to parks and different areas to pick up cans just to eat something. I don't got no were to go, You know. I'm homeless. I go to the bath houses and take a shower. In the park. Any park, any park to sleep, lay your head down. Nobody bother you. No I don't ask for no money. Thats why I pick up cans not to bother people. Yeah I go to the machine every day to cash in cans. Yeah I wait over here seven thirty everyday. Sometimes they come by sometimes they hold food for me. Outside. It's all right. You get used to it. I'm used to the cold. But sometimes it gets so cold I go in the shelters sometimes. Just for a night You can't help where you gotta go. Some place to go. Not living in the street to die, freeze to death. It don't bother me. It bothers other people.

Paul

"A dog can take a pee and I can't."

I was walking down Ludlow Street and uh I guess a Police Officer who I've had interactions actions with in the past spotted me and followed me about four or five blocks, uh watched me take a pee in an alley in some garbage, in the rain and then followed me another two blocks and then put handcuffs on me and then took me to jail for which I spent twenty hours in a holding cell.

And was uh was released with credit for time served. Feel like it was kind of a rip off. Twenty hours in a thirty man cell, it's freezing cold for taking a pee when there's no public restrooms available is pretty bogus. I think if you're going to arrest someone for having to go to the bathroom you should maybe provide public toilets. I'm from San Francisco, they have pay toilets there at least on the street. There's no business that will open their restrooms to non paying customers. So if I don't have five dollars to buy a sandwich and I have to go to the bathroom I guess that means I'm going to go jail.

I was going to say I watched my urine get washed away in the rain as my handcuffs were being put on me, it's pretty ironic, you know. my crime was erased and I was going to jail for a few hours, twenty hours. A dog can take a pee and I can't. I guess they have more rights then I do. Right. I'm watching a cop ride a horse taking a dump that I got to ride over on my bicycle and I can't take a piss on a pile of trash. You know. Fuck.

Mark Mark Mark

"These people are completely disgusting. "

I was arrested for a demonstration on the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq at the headquarters of L3 Communications which is a huge, the third largest war profiteer in the nation. They bought off all the employees from Abu Grab after the Abu Grab scandal broke. They produce guidance systems for missiles. They have one of the largest private militaries in the world. Its a huge corporation they own the majority of the fiber optic cables on the Atlantic Ocean. They're pretty big. What we did is we rushed it and chained ourselves in the revolving doors of the headquarters.

Yeah the cops dislocated his shoulder because he went limp when he was pulled out of the doorway umm and so once we were thrown in the paddy wagon he had to actually heave himself up against the wall to relocate his shoulder, but he did not file a complaint because his priority was to get out of jail as quickly as possible which is certainly understandable. From there we were taken to the mass arrest unit and then transferred to the tombs here we sat for about twenty four hours. My friends actually were in a different cell and watched someone die here and their body be taken away which was fairly disturbing for them.

L3 has the last time I checked one of their branches called the NPRI has one of the largest private militaries in the world, I think 12,000 special ops. They do all of the interrogation i.e. torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. These are the people that provide the tortures for Guantanamo Bay. If the military doesn't want to do it themselves because of legal issues so its a lot easier, to just, hey you go ruin someone's life and then we're not held accountable. A huge corporation which not a lot of people know about, they haven't gotten a lot of negative press. They're pretty unknown compared to like Blackwater.

Corporations like this they exist on making profits on people being hurt and being killed in places that most Americans will never see and really don't think about. These people are completely disgusting. They come in to work everyday you know dressed in their suits living a nice highlife and don't even think about the fact that the paperwork their filling out is leading to ruining peoples lives, to killing people every single day and know one knows about this, but even if they did, even when you tell people about this they're fairly apathetic because they think it's business as usual just another evil corporation which in a way makes sense, but this particular corporation is even larger, even more violent and worse for the average person then most of the ones which you'll see out there. Which is why we did what we did.

Gerald

"I kicked one of the cops in the nuts three times…"

I was in Stuyvesant apartment complex when these cops where harassing my girlfriend. They threw her against the wall and put her in cuffs and bruised her so I kicked one of the cops in the nuts three times and then spat in another another cops face and then they beat the shit out of me. Bloody and took me off to jail.

Ahh she's just yelling at them, it's a long story. They were trying to take me somewhere, like someplace. But we weren't trespassing. I don't know it's a long story.

Was (she) just yelling at them. They took too much force. They shouldn't have because she's a small little girl. They used excessive force. Her parents came down... and said that she lives here. But I got in trouble because I hit the cops. Actually I'm proud and happy that I hit the cops. They deserve it. I feel better. Now I feel better.

Evan

"Somebody did obviously steal the phone."

They said that I was in possession of stolen property, of a cell phone. So, you know. I bought it off a guy in the street for $10, and I went to return the phone, and got arrested for it. I called the person up, she said she wanted to meet me, I went to meet her, and she was a undercover officer, and they locked me up for it. Yeah, she called me first. She said "do you have my phone?" I said "yes, I have your phone." She said "how much did you pay for the phone?" I told her "ten dollars." She said "well, I'll give you double the amount for the phone back," and I agreed, and she wanted a place to meet, and we met, and it was undercover officers there, and they arrested me, locked me up for possession of stolen property.

I made, like, two phone calls on the phone. I woulda continued to pay for it, no problem, I bought the phone, so...I woulda continued to pay for the service. I mean, eventually somebody would start billing you, if you got a phone, of course. Or, it's gonna turn off. One or the other. I don't know, all they gotta do is call. Yeah, call me and say "who this?" I would say "this is Cori, and I got your phone," or whatever, you know, "I would like to continue services on the phone," or whatever the case may be. I mean, but you can buy phones and then get the service changed on them, you know, so it's nothing. It wasn't like I stole the phone, I didn't steal the phone. Somebody did obviously steal the phone. Possession of stolen property, yeah, right.

She asked me who I was...I met her on 113th St. and 1st Ave., and she explained who she was, and she asked me if I had a phone, I said "yeah," I went to get her phone, whole bunch of police jumped out. Big thing for a little phone. What could I say? They asked me where I get the phone from, I said "I bought it." Never buy phones off the streets. You know, I gotta go to a store and do like everybody else does. I'm not really interested in phones, long as I can make a call, you know?

Cori

"I never sold the dude a bag."

Somebody had gave me a dollar that they owed me for two weeks on 125th. Street and Lexington Avenue and the police they seen it and talk about observed me doing sale. I never sold the dude a bag. The dude told them I never sold a bag of weed. They let him go and kept me. They give me time served for no apparent reason. For a dollar, for a dollar bill. The 25th. Precent is corrupt. man. The Manhattan North Squad this is corrupt, this is corrupt. For no reason they just locking everybody up. They got a thousand people downstairs that's in there for no reason. Cause they think they saw something or they just standing around for no reason. And there charging them for bullshit charges. You know and it's wrong. It's really wrong. And I don't know what else to say. I'm just pissed off. I got another charge for no reason.

He had a bag of weed in his pocket, they didn't catch me with no drugs in my pocket, they caught me with one dollar, one dollar, it's the same dollar that they seen him give him. Was the only dollar I had in my pocket. It's right here, it's right here, thats it. And I'm going through the system for no apparent reason. And this is wrong, you know this dude got let out with no charges against him. I'm the one that's holding the charges and I never sold no marijuana in my life. That hurts my feeling and I don't know what else to say. This wrong, you know. This is wrong, injustice. Somebody needs to do something about that. If you can help make a change. I'll start a rally with you. I'll start a march with you. I'll do something with you. This is serious. They're going all over Harlem picking up people for no apparent reason. Randomly, stopping you. Ay up you looking like you're doing something wrong, well we are going to take you downtown. No reason. Undercovers. These are all undercover cops. They'll sit there and see you from a mile away, talking about they see you doing sale. But how could you seeing me doing sale when I only have a dollar in my pocket. How is that? No drugs no nothing was found on me. He gave me the dollar. No drugs no nothing was found. No nothing. They stripped searched me. No nothing was found. And nobody is helping me. You know. This is wrong. This is wrong. I just wanna go home.

Craig

"The ambulance broke the mans jaw…"

I was proceeding, I was traveling ah eastbound on ah westbound on east 96th. Street off the FDR drive. I was exiting my intersection of a five lane intersection of the uptown traffic of first avenue, a a ambulance was, I was going through my fifth lane of an intersection, all of a sudden an ambulance comes flying through the red light... with his ambulance but without proceeding with caution and clips me in the back rear quarter panel the axel of my Hummer H2 and flipped it up over on its side. I popped the seatbelt and climbed out the sunroof. I said you know I seem to be ok. They said no you go lay down. I said I gotta get my cell phone, I gotta contact people and everything you know. They said, "No lay down, you got hit too hard you have go to the hospital." I said, "Is this by any chance the same ambulance company that hit me?" They said "no". But ahh their all in cahoots. Cause they took me away and the accident report turned around the accident report wound up being false, saying that I entered the intersection late and that I struck the ambulance and decided to flip on my side. You know. Then while I'm in the hospital they put handcuffs on me because I didn't know my license was uh too many points, I paid on line but I didn't realize I didn't pay all the fees and my license is suspended. So I had to come over here to the tombs. And uh by time I got bailed out I was almost in the tombs. I only do weekends, I was never locked up for good, I only do weekends in this city.

They're trying to charge me for injuring three three three three other human beings and two passengers and a pedestrian which I was struck by my side, only reason why I survived was because I was in a big hummer. The ambulance broke the mans jaw or the person that was in the back and the woman that was driving broke her elbow. Maybe because she was on the phone. I dunno. They hit a pedestrian cause my vehicle didn't hit nobody. They said I hit the pedestrian, they said I broke this guys jaw, they said I injured everybody, they won't give me a court appointed lawyer. I have to go against myself. They say ah you not have a good chance. But I'm going to do it anyway. This is the second time representing myself in a case. I'm charged with reckless endangerment.

My hummer it was still ok. But the insurance company considered it totaled because they want to resell it. It has a couple of boo–boos on one side.

Thomas

"I'm a big dude. Why would I hit a 150 pound female."

Um, my girl got me arrested for accusing me I was hitting her, which I wasn't. And um and all of a sudden she called the cops and I got arrested and thank God she didn't put no charges on me so I got to come back in court September 5th. and hopefully I hope everything be all right.

Well cause she dumb like that. She tried to cheat and all that, you know what I'm saying. I was living with her and all that you know. She's um that type of female. I don't what's wrong with her man, for real, seriously. She's um. Yeah man she's a little bit psycho. Yeah. I could say that. But you know.

No I did not. I'm a big dude. Why would I hit a 150 pound female. And she claimed I was carrying a weapon. Where's the weapon? I could say that. They never say about the weapon or what kind of weapon, I didn't have no kind of weapon in my hand. You know what I'm saying. All I'm saying you know and they take me down just like that. And a matter of fact they owe me sixty dollars. I don't know where the hell to go get my sixty dollars.

They took my money because I got a hundred and sixty dollars in my pocket, they say it's so much money for me to carry, to go to jail whatever. Now I've been polling and they say they don't know where the sixty dollars at. I don't what is the point they give me the, this paper for.

Now I've moved on and I've found myself a new apartment so I'm not with her anymore. I found myself a new girl so now I'm good, I'm happy now man. You know. Jail is not a good thing to be man. It is totally uncomfortable. This is my first time and I hope that it will be my last time also. That's about it.

Jean

"I'm being recorded right now of course I ain't do anything…"

I'm being accused of a conspiracy with a big high profile case uptown Manhattan. They got to do with um rapper ....... and um that tied into 132nd., 132nd. and Lenox Avenue and all that got caught up in some big um what they call the New York City rap police and um they raided a car... then they got everybody's ID's and stuff and I guess later on that week they got um fake warrants and tried to hit up the addresses of everybody that was in that car with the rapper. You know. So they bum rushed all of our houses and um didn't catch nothing but um they tried to formulate the case, fabricate the case with him with some gun charges and another rapper that got murder and they got me involved in all types of things right now and all reality the statement to the police the rap police, the narcotics and everything don't say nothing about me but since it's a high profile case right now they trying to get me involved. So now they're changing it 111, August 4th. so we going to be a lot of Paparazzi and everybody out here because you know the rappers are coming too. That's my case.

They saying, they, they, whatever they charging 'em with, all the counts they charging them with and the conspiracies which are manslaughter, murder, putting hits out, drug trafficking, drug distributing, things like that. That's my case also. Conspiracy hold everything together. Conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to drug trafficking articles, 78's, they doing all type of things now. They trying to come with some crossing and within the constitutions over there in Columbia State you know where the border line of, what's that, Maryland and D.C., and all of that? They charging us out there right now with Article IV, which is trafficking from different states into the Columbia District. It's just a whole fucking bullshit. Lawyers just wanna get money from people and judge, district attorney, they wanna work deals and just put a dirty jacket on people you know. Yeah I was in the car we was in a Maybach you know it was a Maybach we was all in there we came from a party. We was out in Jersey and we headed this way but they was trailing us all the way through. And there was um some weed smoking in the car and all that so that gives them other grounds so why stop the car whatever. It was all bullshit though. You know.

Hey. I'm being recorded right now of course I ain't do anything, what am I supposed to say. Supposed to say I did. Ha ha ha.

Juan

"I really don't regret it with the exception of catching AIDS…"

Attempted burglary in the third degree. My my crime is actually getting arrested three weeks after September 11th.. I walked into a building and I'll tell the truth I got high. And I walked back out. The doors are open, they charged me since I was a convicted burglar and a career criminal they said I was gonna break it. I got arrested October 4, 2001. And I had a very incompetent attorney and a judge does not like career criminals.

Sixty in New York State [arrested]. You know but I'm disabled. so I can't work. I've had AIDS for 22 years so what choice do I have. If I get a minimum wage job I'm gonna lose all my benefits, my medication cost over $2500 a month. So if I get a minimum job they'll pay for your medication but they won't pay for your doctors. I can't live on minimum wage job. I couldn't afford a place on minimum wage job. Now the city pays $2000 a month for my rent... they pay $2700 for my medication. Now how am I supposed to be able to get a job when only... I have a union card, I'm a union bug, I'm a carpenter but thats still, I'm not going to have enough money to pay for these things. You're talking about $40,000 a year just for rent and medication.

Now I live on the Grand Concourse, Grand Concourse and Fordam Road in the Bronx. I live in a hotel, SRO hotel. You know it's like the city decided that, Rudolph Giuliani decided that in his infinite wisdom to make these hotel that only AIDS, only people with AIDS live in so they can provide you with social services, but all they did was put you in a hotel with, the majority of people, I'm not from New York originally so you know, my family is not here to help me. Most of these people have done so much dirt so their family won't help them. They're filled, you know they're drug infested, you're trying to do the right thing it's very hard to do that. You know I'm too old to go back to jail. I'm 53. So I do not want to go back to jail anymore. I know if I get high, I'm gonna go do the crack because I don't have money to get high and then it's going to be off to the races and sooner or later I'm going to be back in here in the basement again, my life's going to be over essentially cause next time it's going to be life you know. It's a little late in life.

I mean I was pretty successful. I've haven't done a lot of time in prison. I've went all over the world with the money I've made you know. I'll tell you something. I would not make these choices again but I really don't regret it with the exception of catching AIDS which has really nothing to do with my criminal lifestyle. I enjoyed myself.

Thomas

"I'm a grown woman. I don't like disrespect."

My court case. Nothing just assaults. Some man, I don't know his name to tell you the truth. No. It was self defense, he hit me first and I hit him. I was walking down the street and you know he made a comment about my body and then i said your mother, tried to be slick. And he hit me and I hit him. My butt whatever. Yeah. He called the police. He hit me. I cracked his head. He just gave me a black eye and I cracked his head up with my phone. Then he called the police and I waited for the police and I figured they was going to arrest both of us since I waited and they wound up arresting me. And he never showed up to court today.

I guess I was drunk. I'm a woman. If you want to approach me you talk to me a different way. You know what I mean? You don't talk to someone, you don't try to get somebody's number by saying you got a big butt or nice breasts. You know what I mean. I'm a grown woman. I don't like disrespect.

Nina

"I think this is fucking bullshit actually."

The Republican National Convention, about four years ago I guess now. For disorderly conduct. We were rounded up in ah protests uh and they put us all in holding cells and then I don't know, they put us on our way and now four years later it's coming up in my work background check that um... there's a discrepancy that I had a warrant still out for my arrest but I didn't, they can't even find me in the system, so now I have to go for a criminal background check at One Police Plaza to see if they can find me.

I was brought to um some kind, they took a old bus depot and made it a holding cell for everyone and they just separated the boys and the girls and they took all our information and then they brought to the tombs and we sat there for twenty something hours and then they told us all to like just beat it. And then they gave us court dates.

We were part of a group protesting the way republicans feel about gay marriage and we were having mock marriages all going on over the city. And we were cornered. They took like these gates and cornered us in and they just told everyone they were under arrest and we were in on the sidewalk were they told us to be and we weren't doing anything illegal and they just randomly rounded us all up about 30 or 40 of us, oh no even more 60 of us, yeah and just took us all in. Just bused us all over there. I was fingerprinted.

I think this is fucking bullshit actually. This is ridiculous and me going back and forth like this is so like convoluted and dumb. Its annoying, really annoying. Plus its messing up my work.

John

"They were just spraying pepper spray on the whole crowd…"

I'm coming out of the court down here downtown, 100 Centre Street. The reason why I actually came from, came to court today is because on Friday the thirteenth of last month, I believe there was a party, an altercation outside of a venue that we was coming out of a party from that we had nothing to do with. Over 70 police officers came... they actually have a couple of civil suits going against the police officers because they beat up some of the people in the crowd with like billy clubs and stuff like that. Left them bloody and stuff. They was falsely arresting a lot of people I guess because the crowd wasn't dispersing as fast as they wanted it to, one of which was my wife. I actually went back to ask the police officer why was my wife arrested because she wasn't in the melee. The reason why they actually came over there and they arrested me for that. So thats why I'm here today. On the 21st. of July. Basically.

The charge is disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct and resisting arrest [wife]. I'm thirty. I work for the post office. I can't even get in trouble because I work for the city. You understand. My wife is a teacher. She can't get into trouble. I really have no respect for police officers after this particular situation. Really because it was unnecessary. It wasn't called for, none of the people who was in the actual fight got arrested at all. We all came outside and saw a whole fight going on and by time police officers came, that was already over and they were just spraying pepper spray on the whole crowd like. It was just unnecessary, the whole thing was unnecessary. They didn't even need to call to have 70 police out there. Ruining it all the time. Always want to enforce their power when they can when there's no need to. All you got to do is ask questions if you ask questions politely and respectfully people will move but when you try to deal with things forcefully, do things people just feel they don't have to do it because they wasn't doing nothing wrong in the first place.

Eugene

"I scam people out of money, that's my occupation."

I previously been convicted of a crime, and the crime was fraudulent accosting. Fraudulent accosting is when you con someone out of some money, when you pull a person in a public street, and con them, convince them something is real that's not real. You understand? Basically, it's called scamming, I scam people out of money, that's my occupation. And that's what I'm here for now. They got a new program called Cases, and I was eligible for that program, and I been convicted and sentenced to three days of Cases, and I'm coming here today to do my last day and to complete the program.

I scam people by approaching them and offering them things that they might want. Drugs, women, et cetera. And if they want it, I'll tell them a story, and make them think that it's real, and get the money from them. Say, for instance, you want girls, I'll tell you I got girls, I got 18 girls, you give 'em two free drinks upstairs, and it'll be any local hotel in the area. And I'll tell you the girls cost $200, and you have to pay $100 for the room deposit, and then you have to pay a extra $50 for the key deposit, so that'll be $350, and I take you to the hotel and get the money from you, and send you on your way. Very simple, it's not hard.

Another scam? A guy may want to buy some drugs, some weed or some coke, or something, and I tell him I got it, I have it hooked up looking like it's real, but it's not real, sometime I keep some real stuff on me they'll check out, and sample it and see that it's good, and you want to spend a lot of money. And I scam 'em that way, also.

I approach another guy on a public street, he may want identification, got a young guy's 15 and under, they want to get in the clubs and stuff like that, and they want identification. And I'll tell them "yeah, I got ID's." Know, a driver's license, all state, and you tell me "OK, I want Jersey," or "I want New York," or "I want Connecticut," and I'll tell them to write they name, they number, they name, they height, they date of birth, everything that you need to put on an ID, and I'll tell them that the ID costs $62, and $18 for the picture, and all together, it's $80. And that's another scam, I get $80 for that.

I don't feel bad about any of it, because most of the people who I do scam, they want to buy illegal things, anyway. Women and drugs, most of them. Fake ID's. All that's illegal. So, as I'm scamming people, scamming them for things that is illegal, anyway. They can go to jail for what they trying to purchase. It pays the bills. It pays the bills, so I'm gonna do it until I find something better. A good job. I'm Afro-American, it's hard to find a good job, I didn't finish high school, I don't have a trade, so I'm doing this right now 'til something better comes along.

Glenn

"Jump the turnstile. Police come."

They say I, I guess they say I turnstile jumped or something like that. I'm not even sure what they say anymore. I paid the fare and I tried to swipe the card and it said insufficient fare. And umm like ah crap you know I just paid I was on 34th. Street and you know it like you know no person in the thing so I walked to the other side where a person is so I told him so I guess he didn't believe me so I paid right in front of him again and swiped again and the same thing happens. So now oh my God I just did it twice. You saw it happen and he's like well like swipe the card let me see what it says. It says like I just swiped like in right in the turnstile in front of him and he tells me that it says that, "I'm like right, you just saw me swipe it". He's like talking crap. So I'm you know I don't want to deal with this I just wanna go home. Jump the turnstile. Police come. They were watching the whole thing. And like I guess they like gotta make quotas. So they like you know what we're gonna take you in. Thats the right thing to do when you pay.

Jay

"Cause in America you need to have identification…"

Could you actually believe getting arrested for being a resident in my own building just because I didn't have no ID lack of not being prepared huh I guess so huh. Bygones be bygones I guess I'm just gonna just have to go with this one, roll with it, time served. What do you know? Roll with the punches. What do you say? American way. It is what it is. After all that is America. Cause in America you need to have identification to get by. And what can we do?

Master Canario

"I took a leak right where I was."

I'm from Chicago, Illinois. I came here to rap, but I pay a dude for an apartment, he gave me a receipt when I couldn't get my refund back. I'm out on the streets, as a bum, I don't have nowhere to go, I was looking for a washroom, and everywhere that I went, they told me I had to pay some money to eat some food to use their washroom. I left out, I'm looking for a bathroom about three hours. Then I couldn't hold it no more, I took a leak right where I was. And police pulled up. Now I got a summons for unnecessary ticket that was wrong. That's it. Right where I was. Public street. Some street, I don't know. I mean, they was right there soon as I unloaded. I'm like, "wait a minute now, y'all right here, out of all places, you not follow me...you follow me right to where I can't do nothin' but do it."

I'm seeing animals use the bathroom for free, and it's like no civil rights movement. Wait a minute, now, y'all letting animals use the bathroom in front of everywhere and when it comes to a human ain't no stall, but when we go to the parks, the bathroom's closed. Well, I don't think we supposed to use it on ourselves, you know, that's not right. You know, that's not civil. You know, I don't think it's fair, you know?

Timothy

"Who assaulted her?"

I don't have a lot anymore, but in the past years, you know, I been in court, like, probably over 20 times. Misdemeanors, assault, you know, misconduct, many, a lot of shit I been doing, like, you know. But, you know, right now I'm trying to chill, trying to handle my cases, that's all. Against you now, assault. They try to give me 90 days. That's the worst. And now I'm on bail, too. That's the thing, I gotta stay outta trouble. So that's definitely, that's, right now, I'm hoping they dismiss that. They said I assaulted a female, my girlfriend. The officers. Cause it was in the back seat, she had a altercation with a girl, and, you know, she had bruises all over her face, know, they thought it was me, or whatever, cause it was in the back seat. I was trying to fix her hair, or whatever. So, they thought it was me, so...right now... Who assaulted her? A female, another female. I don't know. That's something I don't know about. She told me to come to the scene, to get her. That's what I did. And they thought it was me.

What's the baddest thing I ever done? I assaulted a guy in a park, or whatever, I punched him, I think, I punched him, whatever, he fell in the lake, or whatever. That's the worst thing I've ever done, honestly. But right now, I'm too grown for that. I'm 21, you know? I don't have time to do that, that's when I was a, you know, a little kid. But I'm not trying to come to court back and forth, it's a waste of time, it's a waste of money, you gotta park your car down here, you don't know if you're gonna get a ticket, it's crazy. It's a waste of time, for real. And anybody say that.

If you do trouble, caught, you know, you gotta do your dues, or whatever. You gotta put it down. You can't expect to do trouble and then receive the consequences, like, that don't make no sense. So, that's what I'm doing. I'm mad at myself, I can't be mad at the man, it's my fault. I'm down here. I shoulda listened, 'cause when you don't listen, you pay a price for that. A lot of people don't think before they do things, and when they do it, then they think about it when they in prison, like "damn, I shoulda not," you know? You gotta think before you speak. Think about it twice before I do it. If it's right, it's right. If it's wrong, it's wrong. But, of course, I'm a' choose the right way, not the wrong path. Speeding, runnin' red lights, assaulted somebody, doing all this crazy stuff, stuff like that. No, hell, no. Not at all. That's what I'm sayin', that was me when I was little, but I don't do that no more, 'cause I got a nice car, I'm livin' good, trying to get all my cases off this year, so I can just do what I gotta do. This assault case is the only case I have now. I gotta go back in September. They put a order of protection against her, full-time. They said I gotta stay away from her, if I violate that, then they gonna take the bail money and they gonna put me in jail until September comes. I'm not trying to do that.

McGregory

"I'm not the same quiet little boy I used to be…"

I got involved in a second degree robbery three years ago and ever since then my life completely changed like even my own parents don't even look at me the same no more. Its like I'm an outsider to my whole family so every time I look at into someone's eyes they look at me different. I'm not the same quiet little boy I used to be running around the house all the time so now its like I have to change my whole background, I have to speak different, act different in front of everybody. so everything is changing for me now, its not the same no more and its crazy because that fifteen minutes of that robbery is probably going to change the rest of my life. If I had the chance to turn back the hands of time man I would I would I would see myself putting the knife down not even joining the same people I was always running with.

I robbed it was about a regular white male, about thirty five thirty six years old coming down Central Park West. Its was about eight nine o'clock at night nobody around we decided to go and just do it. Nothing planned, we just did it. It was just like that.

It was shocking like it was surprising cause as myself thats not even my personality, like my personality I like sports and I wouldn't even see I couldn't even see myself holding that knife up to this guys face it was like I could see the reflection in his eyes and looked at him. I was scared too as I was doing it so as I did it it was just when I came when I got back in the house and the Police knocked at my door man it was like my heart dropped straight to my feet. I couldn't breathe for like ten minutes, so that whole feeling its not cool. Its not cool at all. Fifteen or twenty minutes could change somebody's whole life forever.

Devon

"They threw me off the bridge and I'm all broken up."

And ummm, my case right now is uh that uh I got community service for going into the pool 125th for trespassing because I was skinny dipping. I thought it was hot that was on 4th of July. I thought I was having a nice time but they arrested me for that. Uh there was two more but they got away. They only caught me. Now I'm facing the judge. I'm supposed to do thirty days. I'm doing 3 days community service but since I didn't go I have to go again to tell him what happened. Because I ended up in the hospital thats why I got the cane. They threw me off a bridge. That was nine months ago. And um the Judge sentenced me to do community service and I couldn't can't do it. And now I come to argue the issue about it and now I'm trying to find out if ah he'll give me a different approach on doing what i gotta do.

Three guys they robbed me. That was on 191 St. They robbed me for my phone, uhh three hundred dollars and uhh iPod. And they threw me off the bridge and I'm all broken up. I gotta a head broken, I gotta leg broken, I gotta arm um wrist broken, i got my jaw was broken. I survived because of a dog. The dog smelled me out, I pinched his ear, the owner came and ran over to me, I was dying of thirst before he got me out of here. I landed on trees. Thats what saved my life.

Edwin

"Hey, that's Idi Amin Dada!"

I think I was arrested because I saw the police abusing their position to follow their own political objectives. My statement remains the same, I was doing wrong, but it was an emergency I had to go to, the person arrest me, they are just doing that to follow their own political objective. I was born with the British English language. And it was in England, a Spanish dissident that arrest me. Well, I am from the British English language. I'm a British English soldier. The British is the custodian of cultural, traditional value. I'm Zulu. African Zulu. The struggle for survival using every available mean. I was trained in Fort Jackson, South Carolina before going on to Vietnam. I was trained to kill people. And I'm not an ordinary soldier, I'm a political soldier. What is your tribe? Your internal methods have no meaning here. The words from Shaka the Zulu. I consider myself to be one of the strongest men that I meet, I very meet meet anyone that is strong as I am. I like to talk to people that are veteran, Army soldier, Marine, Navy, Air Force, and things like that, that got that kind of training. I know about the struggle with life, and to protect my own culture and my own society. Well, every time I gave a statement, I take a chance and ride somewhere, and go by myself, I always get stopped, so I would not like to comment on it, you know? I don't want to make the statement, I'm still fighting my case, I hope the judge will throw it out. I did so many things in my lifetime, you know? Well...I can not find a good descriptive term for what the police say I did, things like that, you know? I would not like to discuss that, until we get the judge to throw this out, this case out, because this is what I, I get Social Security, this is all I got here. This is my share, my money, you know? I was in Vietnam, I want resources available to the world veteran community, and I'm using any available mean necessary to get that money. I'm going to demand $20 billion, and I expect to be paid accordingly. The rebels are brutal. Idi Amin Dada, let me tell you a great, you know...he lived in my house. Farewell. Hey, that's Idi Amin Dada!

Kieth

"I'm going through 25 years HIV-positive…"

I'm a three times felony, I haven't got arrested in 25 years, I have a good family, I'm working as a trainee, HIV pre-educator as a counselor, getting my life back together, you know? I got a great home, a great family, I just got to stay away from negative people, places and thing, it does work if you listen, I'm in one of the best rehab there is, Daytop, I did four years, I lasted clean 15 years, it must've been a good program if I lasted that long, 25, 15 years clean, you know? Other than that, I'm a grandma, I'm just kickin' to stay alive, you know, I been with the virus 20 years. And it's, I'm grateful. I give it away. I'm very grateful, good things are coming to me. I have no medication, my T cells are 800, you know, I can go to a trainee and teach other people that it's okay, that we gonna live, and live longer life, it doesn't mean it's a life threat, cause it's not a death threat, you know? It's just like a wake-up call, you know? To wake you up. That's how it woke me up, you know? I'm going through 25 years HIV-positive, and then, 25 years since I found out I haven't gotten high on drugs, so things are coming along very good, you know, and I'm grateful in programs that I go to.

I'm here today cause I have a misdemeanor for shoplifting, you know, I have three grandkids, you know, at that time I was very uptight. I didn't have no money, my coupons I don't get, it took two weeks, it's no excuse whatsoever, I'm still paying the price on what I gotta do, you know, I'm a trooper and a survivor, you know? Less than $10, I'm not even gonna say what I stole, it was less than $10, misdemeanor, you know? But, like I say, you know, I needed a couple dollars for milk and food, and, you know, cause I've been clean 25 years. Wasn't for drugs. But, welfare's helping me, you know, by giving me a job, I start tomorrow as a HIV pre-educator, that's talking about the medication...medication, therapy, everything that goes with it as a HIV-positive, that's why I live so long because I work with them. I used to for a year, they knocked it off because doesn't make sense give it to me cause my T cells too high. I'm good. I'm in good shape.

Evelyn

"I didn't do no crime…"

What brings me here today that the police, I was arrested for a crime that, I didn't do no crime, and this precinct, we have a, like, you know, we go back and forth, they keep arresting me, trying to get me in jail to do some time. They try to steal my money, so I have to go through the D.A., and tell them I'm gonna bring them up on charges, like harassment for trying to steal $700 from me, so I had to go through a lot of process. Now, me and my girlfriend, we went, now they giving me my money back, cause they don't want no problems. So, we going to get it now, hoping we don't have no more problems, but we trying to go get the money now, you know? Me? You know, if I do a crime, you lock me up, I'm not going to complain. But if I'm not doing nothing, and you just bothering me, then I'm gonna get mad, and then I don't care if I go to jail for, you know, disorderly conduct for police, 'cause I just did seven years, I just came home for, you know, police planting stuff on me, I didn't do nothing, they took seven years of my life, you know. I'm trying to get back, stay out of trouble, learn stuff, you know, reading books...I'm 30-years-old, I'm just living life, you know? Trying to catch up, I'm trying.

Oh, they said I sold five grams of marijuana, but there wasn't no marijuana, you just took money off of me, know what I mean? Then you say how I dress, so you think that I'm a drug dealer when I'm not. You know? I'm just a average Joe. That's all.

Reynaldo